Convicted Felon from Worcester Pleads Guilty to Cocaine and Firearm Offenses

BOSTON – A Worcester man pleaded guilty today to drug and firearm offenses.

Rodney Hall, 38, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute more than 500 grams of cocaine and being a felon in possession of a firearm. U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni scheduled sentencing for May 17, 2023.  Hall was originally indicted by a federal grand jury in January 2021 and charged in a superseding indictment in September 2022.

On Sept. 30, 2020, Hall’s apartment was searched, where approximately 634 grams of crack cocaine, a loaded .25 caliber Beretta handgun, plastic baggies, $7,000 in cash and a digital scale were found.  Hall is prohibited from possessing a firearm due to his criminal history, which includes previous convictions for possession of a large capacity weapon and trafficking cocaine.

For the drug charge, Hall faces a minimum sentence of  five years and up to 40 years in prison, at least four years and up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of up to $5 million. The charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins; James M. Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; and Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John T. Mulcahy and Evan D. Panich of Rollins’ Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results.